A battery includes one or more galvanic cells (i.e., cells that produce a direct current of electricity) in a finished package. Cells of this type generally contain two electrodes separated by a medium capable of transporting ions, called an electrolyte. Typical electrolytes include liquid organic electrolytes or a polymeric electrolytes. The cell produces electricity from chemical reactions through oxidation at one electrode, commonly referred to as the negative electrode or anode, and reduction at the other electrode, commonly referred to as the positive electrode or cathode. Completion of an electrically conducting circuit including the negative and positive electrodes allows ion transport across the cell and discharges the battery. A primary battery is intended to be dischargedto exhaustion once, and then discarded. A rechargable battery can be discharged and recharged multiple times.
An example of a primary battery is a primary lithium cell. A lithium electrochemical cell is a galvanic cell using lithium, a lithium alloy or other lithium containing materials as one electrode in the cell. The other electrode of the cell can include, for example, a transition metal oxide, such as gamma-manganese dioxide (γ-manganese dioxide or γ-MnO2) or transition metal sulfide such as iron disulfide. The metal oxide or sulfide used in the electrode can be processed prior to use in a lithium battery. Generally, γ-manganese dioxide can be prepared by chemical methods or electrochemical methods. The resulting materials are known as chemically produced γ-manganese dioxide (CMD) and electrochemically produced (e.g., electrolytic or electrodeposited) y-manganese dioxide (EMD), respectively.